This invention relates to a disc playback device capable of playing back Compact Discs housed in their disc cases so that users do not have to handle discs with hands.
In the prior art, when users wish to play back a disc such as a Compact Disc, they must take the disc out of its case and then load it in a disc playback device such as a Compact Disc player.
The methods for loading Compact Discs in a Compact Disc player can generally be classified into three as follows:
(1) The most generally used method is called a tray loading method in which users take a Compact Disc out of a case which stores a disc and load it on a tray provided on the side of a Compact Disc player.
(2) The second method, which is not currently used, is a modification of the tray loading method. In this method, a tray for playback is housed in a disc case, and a Compact Disc placed on the tray is loaded with the tray in a Compact Disc player.
(3) The third method is called a cartridge method which is often used for Compact Disc players carried on automobiles. A Compact Disc is transferred to a disc cartridge case for playback in advance, and is loaded in a Compact Disc player in a state packed in the cartridge case.
The conventional loading methods of Compact Discs described above are detrimental in the following respects:
(1) Since users take out Compact Discs with hands in the tray loading method (1), Compact Discs are highly susceptible to damages and stains. Users are required therefore to take utmost care in handling, and consequently loading and subsequent storing of Compact Discs after use take a long time.
(2) The modified tray loading method is improved in the simpleness of handling as users do not have to handle discs with their hands but only have to hold the tray for taking out a disc from the case. However, as large sized opening is formed on the tray for reading signals, and users may accidentally touch the Compact Disc with fingers, Compact Discs cannot be fully protected from damages.
(3) The cartridge method improves the defects of the above two methods in preventing damages and stains. Since, however, software producers of currently marketed Compact Discs do not adopt the cartridge method, users have to purchase disc cartridge cases separately and transfer discs into them. Commercially available disc cases usually contain title labels or liner notes with Compact Discs. When disc cartridge cases are used exclusively for playback purpose, these title labels and liner notes cannot be stored together in the cartridge case and this is rather inconvenient to the users.
Although efforts have long been made to find out a method which one can load a commercially available disc case housing a disc therein in a disc playback device (such as a Compact Disc player), there remain problems in achieving a mechanism which is simple in construction and yet effective in loading or unloading a disc case and moreover is easy in opening or closing the disc case. The key factor lies in the above mentioned mechanism. Further, it is necessary to develop an opening/closing mechanism which would not damage discs or disc cases in opening or closing of the disc cases.
Moreover, the method of clamping a commercially available disc case which is loaded in the disc playback device in a state housing a disc therein presents a significant problem.
Another problem lies in that the mechanism should allow a Compact Disc to be taken out or placed in the case easily but securely while pressing a circular catch which is provided at the center of a lower case for fixing the disc.
Under the above-mentioned current situation, demands have mounted high for the development of a device which can play back Compact Discs as they are housed in commercially available disc cases without directly handling them with hands.